Child of the Moon
by Myvampirepuppy
Summary: Kaito falls victim to the very poison that has made Conan the way he is, and now he is forced to live with his rival. But the Organization is ready to chase him. How will they escape this one? Yeah, I suck at summaries, I know.
1. Chapter 1: Shrunk!

**Happy Kaitou Kid day (12/14)! I was going to draw a picture and put it on dA, but school kept me from doing it. So here ya goes! This will also be counting as my holiday and New Year's fic.**

**Disclaimer: As a matter of fact, I DO own Detective Conan/Magic Kaito. Yeah, I wish.**

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**Chapter One: Shrunk!**

The Kaitou Kid slipped from the smoke-filled building, his prize for the night safely tucked away in his breast pocket. The structure was only three stories, not high enough to use his hang-glider, so he left through the side door and was making a run for it. He barely made it ten meters when a loud crack split the air and a bullet embedded itself in his leg. A strike to the back of his head knocked him to the ground, barely conscious and fading fast. He still felt it when his assailant placed some kind of pill in his mouth, though. Pouring some water in after it, the thief instinctively swallowed, taking whatever was in that thing down with it. He was thrown against a wall and heard footsteps running away. A fire blazed through his body and his Poker Face melted as he cried out in pain. In almost no time at all he had fainted from the burn, and it was clear that he was going to die there.

Conan slipped through the smoke after Kid, having escaped his little traps early. By the time he got out and had started looking around, the attacker had fled, but he still heard the cry from the side street. Upon seeing his enemy against the wall, wounded and trembling, he called Ran to say that he'd be going home with Agasa-hakase, followed by a call to hakase himself asking to be picked up. He gave their location as Kid spasmed, knowing that it wouldn't be fair to turn him in like this. He wanted to be able to catch him under normal circumstances, just him against Kid with no help on either side, no third party. Until then, since the fever and spasms indicated that someone had fed him the same damned poison that had shaved a few feet off of the meitantei, it would be best to just keep him out of sight and hide. In a few minutes the yellow Beetle was waiting in front of him.

"Come on, help me get him into the car," he said, pulling Kid up.

"We're rescuing the Kaitou Kid?" Ai asked dryly.

"Just give me a hand here."

Agasa came over and lifted him, setting him in the backseat. Conan ended up with Kid's head in his lap. Removing the hat to see how badly he was injured, he caught a wound bleeding heavily in the back of the head. He rubbed his own head in a similar place, the same place Gin had struck him that first day. Judging from the heat and how long it had been since his discovery, they would likely know soon if Kid would live or die.

He was not disappointed. In a moment the body began to steam as a bright light shone from its core. As that light outlining the teenager shrank, so did his body until a small child lay panting in Conan's lap.

"Hakase, do you have those things I asked you to bring?"

"Yeah, the first-aid kit should be under the seat."

The detective thanked him and pulled out some bandages, wrapping them around his enemy's head and calf. "He'll probably wake up in a few hours; it's his first time and he needs to recover. Do you mind if we stay at your house for a while?"

"Of course you may, Shinichi. Do you have an excuse set up for Ran-kun?"

"No, I'll call her right now," he decided, dialing her cell phone.

"Moshi-moshi?"

"Ran-neechan? Agasa-hakase said that I could stay there tonight; may I?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Thanks, Ran-neechan!" He chirped, ending the call. "And now we wait for Kid to wake up."

"Kudou-kun, how did you find him?"

"I got out of the heist to start looking for him early and I just found him collapsed against the wall. It looks like he was attacked. From what we all know just happened, he was given that same poison that we took."

"Did you see anyone?"

"No; they had already escaped by the time I got there. What should we do now?"

"I suppose there's nothing we can do until we get back home. Once we're there, we can better treat his injuries and get him into some fresh clothes."

"Speaking of which…" Agasa said as they pulled into the driveway. "We're here."

"I'll carry him," Conan offered, slinging the smaller Kid over his shoulder and walking inside. When he left the bedroom the thief had been changed into a set of his own clothes, his monocle removed and his head decently bandaged.

"Who knew you were so good at first aid, Kudou-kun?"

"It's nowhere near good enough to help much; my main goal was to stop the bleeding. He still needs a proper doctor to take a look at him."

"Great. Where do we find someone who won't ask questions of someone who takes a seven-year old boy in with a bullet in his leg and a head wound?"

"Maybe Araide-sensei will help us. He seems to be pretty used to things like this."

"Remember? The last time we asked for help like this, that was Vermouth. And we never suspected a thing. I could try to do it, but I'm not certain how it would turn out."

"To be honest, I think I'd trust you more than a professional. Do you need help?"

"Just someone to help me get the bullet out and hold his leg still."

"I'll give you a hand. Any place in particular we should do this?"

"Here should be all right; I don't exactly have space for him downstairs in a position where I'd be able to reach where I needed to go."

"What do you need me to get?"

"Nothing; I'll go get what I need. Just get the wound exposed."

Conan flipped the child onto his belly, tilting his head to one side to permit breathing and rolling up his left pant leg.

"Hopefully this will work out. Even so, we should get _someone_ to look at him after we get the bullet out. What's a good excuse for a child?"

"An accident while he was skateboarding?"

"Is it even possible to get injured on the inside of the leg like that with a skateboard accident?"

"Haibara, it's possible to get injured just about _anywhere_ with a skateboard accident. If we really needed to, then we could just say that I hit him. It's not that unbelievable, and I can just put on a couple band-aids."

"All right, Kudou-kun. Who should we call?"

"Probably Araide-sensei, he's close and would be willing to come here. How long will it take to get the bullet out?"

"Somewhere between five and fifteen minutes, most likely. It could take a bit longer if I need to make it look more like a skateboard injury than a shot."

"I'll call him now, then. It'll probably take a good twenty-five minutes to get here." Agasa said, picking up the phone and dialing the number. "Hello, Araide-san? Could you please come here; Conan-kun ended up hitting a child while he was skateboarding and he's pretty badly injured. No, Conan-kun's fine. An injured leg and a head wound. Well, you may know how fast Conan-kun goes on his board. Yes, we've bandaged him up but we don't want to take any chances. Yes, there is a chance of infection. Okay, we'll see you then." He turned to the three by the couch. "We have twenty minutes before he shows up."

"Okay. Can you help me stitch him up and disguise the wound?"

"What about my skateboard? Will he ask to see it?"

"I have some red paint that I was using; I'll go get it."

"Thanks, hakase. Haibara, I'll help you with Kid. Now what do you need me to do?"

"If we open the wound a bit further around the sides and stitch the top up, then it should pass as a skateboarding accident. I can cover that as well; the stitches should be nearly invisible if we're careful. I think I can trust you to open the wound and make it look realistic; his head will be fine, poorly done as it is, since just about anyone knows that if the victim's head is damaged you start fixing things there. We can say we just found him."

"Okay," Conan agreed, picking up the scalpel next to him and cutting roughly around the edges of the hole while Ai worked around him to piece together the skin above and below.

"Okay, there's 'blood' on your skateboard. Are you two almost done? Araide-san will be here soon."

"Yeah, this should do it." Conan stepped back, wiping down the scalpel. Ai was just finishing up when a knock came from the door.

"Come on, Kudou-kun, we need to get this stuff out of here." She said, gathering the tools and running downstairs. He followed her with the other armful as Agasa welcomed the doctor in and showed him Kid on the couch.

"Well, it looks like you did a pretty good job with his head, but the leg has me worried. It doesn't look infected, but it seems a bit deep. Are you sure a skateboard could have caused this much damage?"

"Well, Conan-kun has a tendency to go extremely fast, to the point where he didn't even notice him."

"All right. It looks like there isn't anything serious; he just needs a few stitches." Araide decided, taking out a small needle and some thread. Fifteen minutes and some fresh bandages ended his visit, leaving Kid flipped onto his back again. "Just wait for him to wake up and call me if there's anything wrong."

"We'll do that. Thank you, Araide-san."

"You're welcome," he said, nodding and walking out.

"And now we wait for him to wake up." Ai said.

"That probably won't take long; it's been a few hours since he shrank. Another half-hour, maximum."

"I'll go make some soup for him, then. Anything else?" Agasa asked, turning for the kitchen.

"Well, we can certainly expect that he's going to be worried and expect that the police are either here or are on their way. Therefore, it's important to explain to him that we aren't his enemies. Waking up comfortable may help; I'll go get a blanket. I can't really help it, but he's also likely to think he died, and he'll probably be very scared because he isn't in his costume. After he wakes up we can discuss where he'll stay. I'd assume he'd be with me because of the physical similarities; he could be my brother."

"You realize that you're offering to take in the Kaitou Kid?"

"Yeah. I'm probably going to slap myself for it later."

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**Good? Bad? I anticipate your reviews! Please?**


	2. Chapter 2: Awakening

**Hey peoples, great to be here again! Thanks for all your reviews; next update's on Saturday!**

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever claimed to own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito. Well, except in those other "disclaimers", but that can just be our little secret...**

**Oh yeah, and I forgot to tell you. This includes an important fact from my other fic, "Teacherneechan". If you haven't read that, I recommend you do so.**

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**Chapter Two: Awakening**

Kaito's world was dark after that guy had knocked him out. This was it, then. Either the police had found him first, in which case when he woke up he'd be at the station, or Jii had found him and he would wake up at home. The jewel hadn't been Pandora, but at least tantei-kun had showed up. It was fun to play with tantei-kun. Oh no, did he get hurt trying to help him? It would be just like him. Nah, the kid's smarter than that. Right?

Or maybe he wouldn't wake up at all. Maybe whatever that was he took had killed him.

Well, no use in staying like this. He'd have to open his eyes sooner or later, so why not sooner?

He was in an unfamiliar room, someplace he hadn't really been to before. Taking in his condition and surroundings—his head still hurt like hell, he was lying on a couch, it felt like someone had fixed his leg, he could feel bandages around his forehead, someone had given him a blanket, there was a bowl of steaming soup next to him, and his Kid costume was lying on the table, the hat and monocle resting on top. His eyes widened when he saw the faces across from him.

"So you're awake, then?"

Tantei-kun was sitting on the sofa on the other side of the coffee table. Kaito was more than a little confused, though. He had effectively caught him, yet the thief was not restrained in any way. It looked like the teen-child was putting his trust in him, but how could things change so quickly? Why, of all things, would he seem so _welcoming_?

"I haven't called the police. You're safe from them as long as you're here."

"Huh?" His voice was a much higher pitch than he was used to, and it hurt some to speak. Probably just thirst.

"Just take the soup."

Kaito took a sip and felt rejuvenated almost instantly. "What was in that?"

"Nothing. You still need to drink it, though. You lost a lot of blood between your wounds and transformation, and that'll help restore it to normal levels without dehydrating you further."

"What do you mean by my 'transformation'?"

"Take a look in the mirror. You've become one of us. I imagine one of the last things you remember is someone giving you some kind of pill and then something like an intense burning?"

"Yes, but how do you know that?"

"I've felt it enough times. Did you see your attacker?"

"No; I was barely awake when he fed me whatever that thing was."

"All right. That's fine. Do you know anything about a group called the Black Organization?"

"Yes; those guys have been after me on heists for a while. I imagine you know my face by now, but not my name?"

"You're correct. You seem to be taking this awfully smoothly."

"No actually, I'm panicking and wondering how this could possibly have happened while trying to figure out why you didn't turn me in while I was unconscious, or at the very least why I didn't wake up restrained in some form."

"Do you really believe it to be wise to tell the police that a child is really an adult, and the Kaitou Kid at that? I don't really want to start on the wrong foot by forcing you to stay in one position and showing distrust; you're more or less free to the house. Just don't open up the wound in your leg. If anyone asks about it or your head, the story is that I accidentally hit you with my skateboard."

"Alright," he said, stretching and righting his body to a sitting position. "Sorry, but I don't really trust you two with my name, so for now just call me Kaito."

"We're in the same boat, Kaito-kun, and what could we tell the police even if we did try to turn you in? That a mere child was the Kid?"

Kaito laughed. "I guess you have a point there. Promise you won't tell anyone?"

"Promise."

"Kuroba Kaito."

"Kudou Shinichi."

"Haibara Ai."

"Haibara…" Conan looked to her, annoyed.

"My life as Miyano Shiho is dead and gone. I have nothing waiting for me, so I have no purpose in going back."

"And you know that you've given us your face and name now, right, Kaito-kun?"

"Yeah. Still, I hope that whenever I get my real body back you still won't tell anyone?"

"You're right. I want to catch you without handicaps. I'll only pull it out if you do something unforgivable or for your protection if someone is trying to kill you."

"The Black Organization's been trying to kill me for years."

"Okay, if they actually hit you."

"I suppose they could. So what do I do now?"

"We'll get you enrolled in school; you still need a name and relations. As far as places to stay go, I think you're with me. Because of physical similarities, I suppose you'd be my brother or something. I can arrange for my mom to show up for the purpose of introducing you. Now, I may as well let you choose your own name."

"That may be a tough one…Why not Shouhei?"

"Is there some kind of story behind this?"

"My favorite dove is named Shouhei. The name sounds nice."

"Sure. Nothing wrong with it, I guess. I'll call mom, then." He picked out a cell phone from his pocket and held down '4'. "Hi okaa-san, can you come to Japan as 'Conan's' mother? Yeah, there's another one. We're going with Shouhei. Oh, sorry but I'm just going to say that we found Kid. You might recognize him, though. Okay. Thanks, kaa-san. I'll see you then."

"And?"

"Fumiyo will be here in two days. I'll make the excuse with Ran now." He held down '5' this time. "Ran-neechan? Agasa-hakase offered to take me and Haibara on a camping trip; can I go? Sure, I'll be over there soon. Bye!" He hung up on her. "I'll be back in half an hour. The excuse should get us through the time it'll take to get kaa-san here." Tantei-kun was already halfway out the door, leaving Shouhei alone with Ai. He shivered. This could _not_ end well.

"I feel sorry for Kudou-kun, let alone Kobayashi-neechan. Having someone like you to watch."

"'Neechan'? Isn't she your teacher?"

"She is, but she's also my sister who's been hiding from me. Kudou-kun brought that to my attention a few months ago."

"Where did you think she was?"

"I became this because I rebelled against the Organization when I thought they had killed her. She made it known to us that she was alive and I'm not sure if I should be happy that I can feel a bit more comfortable in class or angry that she wouldn't tell me about this sooner. At this point, though, I can only feel sorry for her."

"What's wrong with me?"

"I've seen the fun you have on heists. If you use even half that energy normally, onee-chan's going to have her hands full just with you."

"Eh, she'll get used to it. My old teachers just learned to ignore it, and they're not as used to rambunctious kids."

"I'm back," Conan called. "We're safe for the weekend. I'm going to need the time to get used to you, anyway."

"I can do tolerable if I have to. Just give me some time to let loose."

"I'll try to give you that chance. How often?"

"Probably about once a day will work out. Not tonight, though. I'm exhausted."

"Are there any people on your end who might be in danger from the Organization?"

"My mom is the only person who comes to mind. Anyone else should only be targeted if they look too far into this or if these people decide to use them to draw me out. That shouldn't happen as long as they think I'm dead."

"Then we'll just have to hope they don't go too far into this."

"Okay, Shouhei-kun, you're set up in Conan-kun's class at Teitan Elementary."

"That's probably the one thing worse than the Organization: Going through elementary school again."

"I don't know. Kids are easy to amuse."

"Right, I forgot you live for the spotlight. Maybe school will be perfect for you."

"Are you kidding? If the teacher knows that I don't need to relearn what she's teaching, it'll be even easier to have fun in class."

"I take it you told him about Kobayashi-sensei, then?"

"If you mean that our teacher is, uh…"

"You may address me as 'Haibara-san'."

"Sure. If you mean that our teacher is Haibara-san's sister, then yeah, she told me about that."

"Then I guess that covers it. We should probably talk to her about this, though. We'll call in the morning. Until then, can you please either try to get some rest or be quiet enough to let the rest of us sleep?"

Shouhei yawned. "Shouldn't be too hard. 'Night."

"Goodnight." Conan led him upstairs to the bathroom and got himself ready for bed. Retreating to the bedroom, he was soon joined by the former-thief.

"Do you really have to sleep here?"

"This is the only guest room. Why; what's wrong with me?"

"Nothing, I guess." He slid over to try and make room for Shouhei.

"Night." He closed his eyes and his breathing became deeper and more regulated. Conan quickly followed suit, finding himself stroking the other as his consciousness faded.

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**Ok, I realize that a lot of you said I was moving too quickly. Please let me know if I'm doing better...I'll be in New York to see WICKED, and OH MY GOSH YES!**


	3. Chapter 3: Meetings

**Merry Christmas, Happy (late) Chanukah, Happy (early) Kwanzaa, or Happy (insert your holiday here)! The point is, it's December 25, and that means that it's time for an update! Next one comes on New Year's!

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**Chapter Three: Meetings**

"Shouhei-kun? Shouhei-kun, wake up. Come on, Kobayashi-sensei's coming over to meet you in an hour." Conan nudged his doppelganger, who was still fast asleep. "Kaito-kun?" He tried his real name. "Oi, Kid!"

"Huh? What the…?" His eyes fluttered open. "Tantei-kun!" He yelled, scrambling back against the wall.

"Shouhei-kun, remember last night? I'll let it slide today, but you've got to get used to your new name. If I have to call you by your real name or Kid, then it could be really dangerous."

The other boy settled down. "Right. Okay. I remember now." His stomach growled.

Conan laughed. "Come on, let's get you some breakfast."

"What about you?"

"I ate a while ago. I've been up for a couple hours now. There's a new toothbrush and some clothes waiting for you."

Shouhei followed him downstairs and into the kitchen, pouring himself a bowl of cereal and wolfing it down in five minutes flat. In fifteen more minutes, he was waiting on the couch for his teacher to show up.

"How can you get ready so quickly?"

"Practice. As Kid, I've needed to change quickly a _lot_."

"Ah. Come on, I'm pretty sure Haibara wanted to talk to you and maybe run a few tests while you're waiting. She's never really had the chance to test a recent subject. I was like this for a solid six months before she found me."

"All right."

"I'm hoping you don't have a thing against needles."

"Not really." Conan nodded and led him to the room where Ai was waiting.

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah. Go for it."

She drew a few vials of blood out, then asked Conan if she could do the same for a comparison. He agreed, and after she was clicking away at the computer, they escaped back to the bedroom.

"Man, that girl's creepy."

"And you haven't seen her on the days when she's trying to act like a child."

"I can't imagine."

"Yeah. Mature is just her style, and as long as it doesn't go too far, I'm glad to leave her that way. Now, is there any way to get your hair under control?"

"Only absurd amounts of gel, and I only use that if I need to disguise as you."

"I'm not sure if I should hate or admire that you can manipulate my secret so well. I can't say that I am Kudou Shinichi, so I'm forced to let you be me."

"It's also quite helpful in passing the mask test. I looked enough like you that I didn't need to wear any kind of mask. Maybe a wig if my hair was being particularly annoying, but it was almost entirely natural."

"And this is why we're set as brothers."

"Is there any particular way I should be acting around certain people?"

"We'll need to break the news to Hattori in such a way that he wouldn't try to take you to Nakamori-keibu. That shouldn't be too hard; he and I both seem to view you as a game that should never be won. You should know already to keep your act up around everyone except my parents, Agasa-hakase, Haibara, and Hattori. It's especially important that you be on your guard with Ran. She's almost found out about me more times than I care to say."

"Good to know."

"Conan-kun? Shouhei-kun? Kobayashi-san is here." A voice drifted up to them.

"Sounds like it's time. Right, you can be yourself around her, too. After all, we asked her to come here so that we could introduce you and establish that you weren't just another child."

Ai came up to hug her teacher.

"Hello, Shiho. How have you been?"

"It's only been a day, you know. But I've been doing all right. What about you?"

"Fine, fine. You said that there's been another victim?"

"Yes. He's coming down with Kudou-kun now."

As if on cue, Conan was standing before them, Shouhei trailing behind. "This is Edogawa Shouhei. We're setting him up as my brother."

"I see. Tell me a bit about yourself, Shouhei-kun." Her tone was definitely that of someone who wanted to know more than the false story being given to the rest of the world. "What was your name before…this happened?"

"Depends on how much you'd tell the police."

"Nothing, I suppose. Whatever secrets you may keep, as long as you weren't a murderer or something, they'll be safe with me."

"No, no, nothing like that. Thing is…well, I'm just going to say that I doubt Kid will be pulling any heists anytime soon. My name then was Kaito. Hajimemashite."

"Hajimemashite, Kaito-kun. Don't worry about it, I can keep that much a secret. You'll be in Shinichi-kun and Shiho's class. Is there anything I should know?"

"Yeah. You might want to expect some magic tricks in class."

"Okay. Do you mind waiting until lunch, though? It's one thing to just have students who aren't paying attention, but it's quite another to have someone deliberately disrupting class."

"I guess so."

"Good. Then I'll see you in school on Monday, Shouhei-kun."

"Bye, sensei!" Agasa closed the door, and Shouhei turned to Conan. "All right, what was that?"

"What?"

"You were watching me the whole time. Was there a reason?"

"Oh, sorry. I didn't really notice that I was doing it."

"...Fine. Any do's and don'ts I should know around here?"

"You'll figure them out. Besides, I'd be kind of interested to see how you handle them."

"Of course you would."

"Just don't mess with Haibara. I don't really want to know that I was partially responsible for your death."

"Uh, about that…"

A shriek broke out from elsewhere in the house, and they heard footsteps stomping to the room. There stood Ai, hair dyed a bright blue to compliment a red face.

"I kind of set a few traps earlier today."

Conan was taking cover behind the pillows, leaving Shouhei alone to face the wrath of an angry scientist.

"Tell me how to get this out of my hair _now_!"

"It'll come out on its own after a few days!" He wailed.

"I'm not going _days_ with this!"

Conan just watched his former enemy bounce off the walls and ceiling in a desperate attempt to avoid her, jumping out of the room and hiding behind whatever he could. After a few hours of this, he decided it would be best to stop them.

"Haibara, the dye's not permanent. Just take a shower and pay special attention to your hair. It'll come out. That's just the way it works. Besides, I can't imagine where he got hair dye, so it's probably just spray paint or something." He told her.

Her face returned to its normal pale as she marched off to do as Conan suggested. Shouhei came out of hiding to run over and cling to him.

"Shouhei, get off me."

"But you stopped her!"

"Are there any other traps to be triggered? More importantly, are there any traps that Haibara's likely to trigger?"

"Maybe."

"Go disarm them. Next time, I won't stop her."

He sulked off to pick up various things off the floor, from tripwires to small bombs filled with dye to simple markers designed to set off sound effects.

"Is that all?" He asked upon the thief's return.

"As many as I dared. I think there were a couple in the bathroom."

"Oh, boy."

A shriek of "Kid" resonated through the house as Ai stormed out to nearly strangle Shouhei.

"Haibara, please try not to kill him?"

"Fine. That isn't to say I won't bring him close."

"Go for it."

She proceeded to attack him with whatever she could, including a few game controllers. Conan sighed. Maybe he should just ask Mom to go back to America and drop Shouhei off with someone else. No, that wouldn't work. If they found out, or if they happened to _be_ a member…

He shuddered, running to the safety of their room. The two soon entered, and Kaito shot him a pleading look at him that screamed 'help'. Ai had him backed into a corner, the fire in her eyes practically visible.

"Good luck to you."

"What the—"

Shouhei was cut off as Ai proceeded to beat the living hell out of him. By the time she stepped back, he looked almost as bad as when Conan had first found him.

A call drifted up to them of "Dinner!" The boys fled first, leaving her to calm down a bit before following them. The meal passed in relative silence, though Ai was still glaring daggers at their guest. He was quick to leave after finishing, Conan following him. Preparing for bed, they were under the covers by eight, Conan holding up a Sherlock Holmes book.

"Night, tantei-kun."

"Goodnight," he yawned, finding himself snuggling a little closer to the other teen-child's heat and curling into it. Shouhei laid his head next to Conan's, falling asleep to his even, rhythmic breathing.

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**...And there's your holiday update!**


	4. Chapter 4: Home

**Me: Good evening to you all!**

**Conan: Get on with it already.**

**Me: Ah, shut up, Conan-kun. Tonight is a very...ordinary chapter. Then again, I'm playing with a chibi Kid, so nothing's ordinary.**

**Conan and Shouhei: Myvampirepuppy doesn't own us.**

**Me: (not that it isn't my New Year's Resolution to try...)**

**Conan and Shouhei: Happy New Year, whatever your country! May 2011 find you in good health!**

**Me: Or not...

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**Chapter Four: Home**

Conan opened his eyes to an unfamiliar room. He took in his surroundings—a rotting roof, holes in the walls, the storage building looked ready to collapse on himself. He was about to get up when he found that his wrists and ankles were tied together. _'Huh? Where am I? Did the Organization somehow find out?'_ Looking forward, he saw Gin holding Shouhei at gunpoint. Next to him was Vermouth with Haibara, and almost everyone else he knew was tied up nearby. He tried to let out a cry for help, but found his mouth would create no sound. He could only watch in silence as each figure started to pull the triggers on their guns. A final struggle and a scream escaped his lips as he sat up in bed. Rubbing the sweat off his forehead, he comforted himself, telling his brain that it was just a dream.

"Oi, oi, what's with you?" Shouhei asked from next to him.

"Oh, nothing. Just a dream…" Conan looked away. _'That seemed so real, though…'_

"Right, aren't we supposed to meet our kaa-san today?"

"Uh, yeah. She'll be here after lunch. What time is it?"

"Ten-fifty in the morning. Come on; let's go get something to eat."

"You're unusually normal today. What's with you?"

"Nothing, I guess. Just practicing."

"Well, if you need to release the day's energy, I'd recommend you get it out now."

Shouhei proceeded to literally bounce off the walls. For a few minutes he was more energetic than Conan had ever seen, even on heists. After he had calmed down to a just-above-sober level, he walked down to get an early lunch.

"So, kaa-san's coming over at two. You just need to be ready. I'd imagine she's staying here for a while; she isn't one to rush back home without enjoying herself a bit. Also, I'm not really sure if she's going to be wearing her disguise. Probably not."

"I'm ready for whatever you can throw."

"Okay. Let's go get ready."

They walked up to the bathroom together and brushed their teeth, Shouhei making an effort to tame his hair, to no avail.

"I think your hair has a mind of its own."

"Nah, it just doesn't like being told what to do."

He laughed a bit at that, and the pair went downstairs. The magician somehow managed to find the materials necessary to practice quite a good deal of magic tricks. "Hey, where did you put my Kid costume?"

"Oh, it should be in the closet somewhere. Why?"

"I left some…things in it."

"That reminds me, did you ever return the jewel?"

"Not yet; I'll send it tonight or something."

"All right." Conan ran off to fetch the suit, wondering exactly why he was bringing more things for Shouhei to mess with.

"Thanks," he said when the detective returned, pulling a few of his tricks out.

He grunted. "Is this going to be disruptive?"

"What magic show isn't?"

"You make a good point. But you realize we only have ten minutes left before kaa-san shows up, right?"

"Yeah."

"Are you packed?"

"Well, I don't have much to pack, now do I?"

"That's true enough. You should probably leave your Kid stuff here. If Ran finds it, we may be in a whole world of trouble."

"Sure."

The doorbell rang just then. "That's probably kaa-san. Knowing her, we'll spend some amount of time here for you two to get to know each other."

"Ah, hello, Yukiko-san," Agasa greeted the curly-haired woman in front of the house.

"Hello, Agasa-san. How have you been?"

"Fine, fine. Shinichi is over there with our new guest."

"Shin-chan!"

"Hi, kaa-san."

"Oh, and this child must be the Shouhei-kun you were telling me about?"

"Hajimemashite."

"Wait, I recognize you. Weren't you Toichi-kun's child?"

"Hey, I remember you! You kept coming over to learn from Tou-san!"

"…Shin-chan told me that you were the Kid?"

"Yeah. Some days I wish I weren't, though."

"How did that happen to you?"

"It was kind of forced onto me by my dad a couple years ago. I found out that he was Kid before me, and I heard the story and had to take up the mantle."

"I see. Now do you have any form of disguise to use?"

"Nah. No one around here would really recognize me anyway."

"Is there any way to get your hair under control?"

"Gel to the extreme. Other than that, no."

"Then we'll just have to live with it the way it is."

"Ok."

"I'm sorry, what is your name? It's been such a long time, I barely remember."

"Will you take this to the police?"

"No."

"Kuroba Kaito."

"Ah yes, Kaito. That's an unusual name."

"Yeah. It really doesn't help, my name being so close to 'kaitou'."

"Well, your father did have quite the sense of humor."

"Yeah, but he got really serious whenever he started doing tricks."

"Well, that's a magician for you. Poker Face of steel. You have it too, I see it in your eyes."

"All right, you two can talk about Kid's father later. I will admit that I'm interested in hearing about him, but we need to talk strategy and what your story is."

"Well, your last name's set already. You're 'Conan's' twin brother Shouhei, living with his parents in America until recently."

"That'll probably work. Hakase, can you get the papers we'll need together?"

"You underestimate my forging abilities, tantei-kun." Kaito cut in.

"Go ahead. Do you know how to do this, Kaito-kun?" Agasa asked.

"Yeah. Do you have the programs to do it with?"

"Yes. Just fill out the forms for yourself with Shinichi and Yukiko-san to get it all correct. The template's right here," he said, double-clicking on a Word document.

"Age?"

"You could pass for seven."

"Residence?"

"Los Angeles, California in America."

"Date of birth?"

"Just use yours, but make sure to adjust the year appropriately."

"Done," he said, clicking 'Print'. The machine sprang to life and shook the papers free.

"Okay, so 'Edogawa Shouhei' now exists. We should get your act together. Now, let's say you're with Ran, who knows nothing of this. How do you act?"

"Hi, Ran-neesan. I'm Edogawa Shouhei! Hajimemashite. Can I borrow the TV? There's a new Kamen Yaiba on in three minutes."

"Wow, that's better than I do. I'm usually asking where she put my Holmes book."

"You sound like you're related to tantei-san."

"I may look up to him as a Holmes fan, but I do have an issue with his precision. It's pretty annoying."

"And you didn't go to school with him."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I feel sorry for you."

"That's some pity, coming from you."

"Yeah, yeah. That reminds me, it's getting kind of late. We should really get you in with Ran soon."

"I'll be back in about half an hour." Yukiko left to get into her costume.

"Come on, let's go get packed up. You can borrow a couple sets of my clothes for now; we'll have to get Ran to take you out shopping soon."

"What, you wouldn't come?"

"Do you even know what Ran's like when she's shopping? Think a girl from any chick flick you've ever seen."

"I know what that's like. My friend Aoko used to take me all the time."

Conan proceeded to lead Shouhei up to get some clothes and a toothbrush. When they came down with a bag each, Fumiyo was waiting for them. "Well, let's go. The car's parked outside."

"Hai!" The trio got in and drove to Ran's house, Yukiko walking them in. Ran was in the kitchen cooking dinner when they entered.

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**O-kay, worst place to end EVER, but I would ask you all to review anyway. Next chapter isn't till next week, at which point I'll go back to my weekly updates. Until then, happy new year, bonne année, shana tova, feliz año nuevo, and all that jazz.**


	5. Chapter 5: Danger

**Sorry, guys! I kind of forgot that it was Saturday...I hate piano lessons...But moving on, enjoy the chapter!

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**Chapter Five: Danger**

"Tadaimasu!" Conan called.

"Hi, Conan-kun. Oh, Edogawa-san! How have you been?"

"Fine, fine, dearie."

"And who is this? He looks just like Conan-kun!"

"Edogawa Shouhei desu. Hajimemashite."

"Hajimemashite, Shouhei-kun."

"He's Conan's brother. He's been living with us in America, but he's been really lonely. Do you mind if he stays here with his brother?" She asked, writing off a check. "This should cover him."

"Of course! Conan-kun, you never told me you had a brother!"

"I didn't until a few days ago," he muttered.

"Well, dinner will be ready in a few hours. Shouhei-kun, you and Conan-kun can share the room with tou-san, I think."

"Hai!" Shouhei said, following Conan to get set up. "She reminds me a lot of Aoko…Looks just like her."

"Is Aoko-san a karate master, too?" Conan joked.

"Nah, but never get near her when she's mad, especially if there's a mop or other such utensil available."

"Mop."

"She's pretty dangerous with one, yeah."

"That's unusual."

"Not much more unusual than the idea of adults becoming children."

"True, I suppose. I'm going to warn you now, though: oji-san sounds like an elephant when he snores. Try to fall asleep before he gets in here."

"Thanks for the tip."

"Sure. The bathroom's across the hall and there's entertainment downstairs."

He walked off to set his toothbrush down and returned to finish.

"Dinner's ready!" Ran's call floated up to them from downstairs.

"Come on."

Kaito walked down, only to scream and run at the sight of 'dinner'.

"What? It's just haddock."

"Yes! How can you eat that!"

"Scared, are you?" There was no mistaking the grin in Conan's voice. Shouhei was currently hiding under the bed, much like a dog in a thunderstorm. He caught a slight nod from the other boy. "Okay, I'll go tell Ran before she comes looking. Any other…things we should be avoiding?"

"No."

"Fine." He left and Kaito crawled out to follow him cautiously.

"Ran-neechan?"

"Did you talk to him?"

"Yeah. Sounds like he's just scared of fish."

"Okay, I'll try to stay away from cooking it anymore."

"Thanks, Ran-neechan." He motioned that it was safe to enter, and Shouhei followed him, settling himself in a corner and playing around with his hands.

"What are you doing, Shouhei-kun?"

The boy was absorbed in his activity and didn't notice what she had said. She was about to walk away when a rose produced itself between his fingers. He held it up to her, triggering a light blush across her face.

"Shouhei, can I talk to you for a second?"

"What is it?"

Conan made sure Ran's back was turned before slapping his doppelganger. "Never do that again."

"Come on, it was just a trick. Nothing wrong with it."

"Hey, she's mine. Simple as that."

"Whatever you say, _Conan_."

"Come on. Kogoro will probably be up for another couple hours, but Ran's going to start telling us to get to bed any minute now."

"Fine." He took off to brush his teeth and get into bed. Conan followed calmly. Unfortunately, a full hour had to pass before Shouhei would settle down enough to sleep. The other boy came to join him soon after, engulfed in the dark swirl of colors once bright.

(=^_^=)

"We've searched the entire area! There isn't a body!"

"Any sign of a police investigation?"

"No."

"That's unusual," Vermouth commented.

"I'm sure this has something to do with you," Gin said, shooting a glare in her direction. "This is the third person for whom we haven't found a body. You know the rules; after three similar cases the matter is taken to anokata." He proceeded to dial the tone of a children's song into his cell phone and held the receiver to his ear. "Yes. Gin. There have been three cases of similar origin. No body and no sign of an investigation. Vermouth looks like she knows something and isn't sharing with us. Yes." He turned back to face the devil with an angel's smile. "Anokata says that we should ask you what you know about this. Don't lie to us; you know how we are with liars already."

"Sure, sure. I'm almost certain of it."

"Of what?"

"What is similar about all three cases? Sherry, Kudou, and now Kid?"

"All their bodies are gone."

"I'm fairly sure that Sherry took her own poison. Now what's similar? Specifically about how they died?"

Something clicked. "All three were given Sherry's poison."

"And now it seems like all three of them have gotten up and continued living."

Gin's eyes widened the tiniest bit. "Is it possible they survived?"

"You're starting to catch on."

He nodded. "This needs to get through the Organization. We can no longer use that poison. Now, let's start with the most recent victim. Who did he have connections with?"

"We've established that he seems to have a strong connection with the police and one Kuroba family. There are only two in the house, though: Kuroba Kaito, and his mother Chikage. Other connections include the daughter of Nakamori Ginzo, named Aoko, and the British detective in the area, Hakuba Saguru."

"Very well. Go to the Kuroba household and look for them. Whichever is home or whoever comes home first, take them and ask them where the other is."

"Yes." Two of the group took off, leaving five to continue at Gin's discretion.

"Champagne, go look for the detective. Rum, you go with Brandy and take the inspector. Martini, you're after this Aoko girl."

They took off silently into the night at his order, leaving Gin alone with Vermouth.

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**...That may have been a bit of a rough ending. See you next time, and please leave your reviews here!**


	6. Chapter 6: School

**Gah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I COMPLETELY forgot I had to post today!**

**Disclaimer: I own Detective Conan not.**

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**Chapter Six: School**

"Shouhei, get up. Time for your first day at school."

"Huh? Oh, yeah." He grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Come on, get ready. We're supposed to be there in an hour."

"Fine, I guess." Shouhei turned and rose, trudging along to the kitchen for breakfast. "Ooh—chocolate!"

"Don't. Chocolate is not considered breakfast."

"Hmph."

"Ran's already set up a backpack for you; it's right next to mine."

"Yeah, I saw it."

"Good morning, Conan-kun, Shouhei-kun. Did you sleep all right?"

"Yeah, fine."

"Ok, I packed everything you should need for school today. Lunch is in the fridge, I'll get it before we leave."

"Thanks, Ran-neesan!"

"Of course, Shouhei-kun. Come on now, we still need to get you in with Kobayashi-san."

"Hai!" He put on a half-fake grin. _'I just met her yesterday…'_ He thought, picking up his backpack and following her to his new school. _'Speaking of school, I've been gone for four days now. Aoko's going to _kill_ me when I get back…'_

Said girl was just leaving her own house. _'Geez, tou-chan came home really late last night, and he hasn't woken up yet, either. Come to think of it, Kaito hasn't been home in four days…Where is he?'_ She was absorbed in her thoughts, unaware of the person behind her until they pressed a cloth to her face and shoved her into a car.

"So his name is Shouhei-kun?" An excited Ayumi asked.

"Yeah, he's my brother. Unfortunately."

"Class, this is Edogawa Shouhei-kun, and he'll be joining us for the rest of the year." Kobayashi Sumiko's voice silenced the chattering children.

"Hajimemashite!" He waved.

"Hajimemashite!" The call returned.

"Now, where can you sit…Ah, there's a place next to Genta-kun. Genta-kun, would you please raise your hand?"

Kaito moved quietly to join the large boy, feeling the eyes of his comrades upon him. He felt welcomed by both them and the true children, though their eyes carried in them as well a sympathy, a friendship, yet a cold barrier separating them from crossing the line any farther than 'partners in battle'. Ai watched him with interest, mixed in with the other emotions. Soon, he found the lesson too boring to pay attention, even worse than his normal classes in high school. _'On the plus side, these guys are just kids, so they're easy to entertain.'_ He grinned and reached for the canister in his pocket.

**A few seconds later…**

"Shouhei, get _back_ here!" Conan screamed.

"But you look good like that!" He teased from behind the desk.

"I may have said not to prank Haibara, but that doesn't mean you should prank _me_!"

"But green is your color!"

Conan growled, his hair now a forest green.

"Where did he _get_ the hair dye from?" Ai sighed, burying her head in her arms in an effort to wait it out.

(=^_^=)

"We found some information concerning the Kaitou Kid that you may find interesting, sir."

"What is it?"

"In the detective's house, we found information pulled from what would seem to be a strand of the Kid's hair. It gave all but his name, and the only person who fits the description and has these connections is that boy you wanted us to capture, Kuroba Kaito."

"Do we have anything on his location?"

"No, but there have been rumors that there is a new magician over in Beika living with that detective, Mouri Kogoro."

"Where did you hear this from?"

"I heard it from Bourbon. He says he overheard children talking about a new magical boy in their class, and how he was staying with that boy living with the detective."

"Check it out. Do you know what this boy looks like?"

"We have his picture, so yes."

"Go."

Champagne nodded, taking off in his car.

(=^_^=)

"What was that for at school?"

"I got bored." He slid up next to the child and breathed, "Would you like me to be blunter in expressing myself?" Conan blushed and pushed him back.

"That's what you do when you're bored? Just sleep. It would be a lot less destructive."

"But where's the fun in that?"

"No one kills you."

"You know I'm used to it. I want people to chase me. It feels more like home that way, and it keeps me in shape."

"So you do this regularly back home?"

"What're you two talking about?"

"Oh, Ran-neechan! I-it's nothing."

She stared at Conan for a moment before smiling. "All right. Well, I'm going out to the convenience store. We need some cheese for dinner."

"I'll go!" Shouhei shot his hand up.

"Okay, but come back soon, Shouhei-kun. Do you know where you're going?"

"I'll be fine!" He called, already halfway out the building.

"It's so hard to believe that you two are brothers." Ran looked down at Conan. "I mean, you always seem so quiet and secluded while Shouhei-kun is so energetic all the time."

"Yeah, I guess he is."

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**Two chapters more! Chibi Kaitos is adowables ^.^**


	7. Chapter 7: Kidnapped

**I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Ended up visiting my great-grandma yesterday and got back late. This chapter probably runs waaaaay too fast, but try to enjoy anyway...*hides in corner*

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**Chapter Seven: Kidnapped**

Shouhei took a deep breath and sighed in relief. _'Tantei-kun will probably cool off in an hour,'_ he thought, starting for the convenience store, the money given to him jingling in his pocket. It didn't take long to get there; within ten minutes he had paid and left. _'It's still too early to go back.'_ He decided as his feet turned to take the long route home.

"Edogawa-kun?"

He looked up to see Ai's pale face. "Oh, hi. What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question. I was going to get some fruit. Hakase's not taking care of himself, so I have to do it."

"Ran-neesan needed cheese for dinner."

"That doesn't explain why you went and not her."

"Tantei-kun's mad at me. I wanted to have some time for him to cool off."

"Now that is an answer," she said before freezing and looking around.

"What is it?"

"We're being watched."

He stiffened and looked behind him just in time for both of them to be grabbed by the back of their shirts and pulled out of sight.

(=^_^=)

"It's been a while. Where did Shouhei-kun go?"

"Maybe he got lost on the way home."

"I'll go look for him."

"I'll go with you!" Conan cheered, before he was stopped by Ran's hand.

"No, you stay here. It's a short walk; there's not much point in both of us going," she ordered him, walking out.

'_This feeling…could it be Them?'_ He asked himself, starting for the door. He was barely out when Shinichi's phone buzzed in his pocket. _'Ran?'_ He wondered, taking out his bowtie and setting it to his real voice. "Moshi-moshi?"

"We have your girlfriend, Kudou."

"Gin," he hissed into the speaker.

"If you want to see her alive again, come to 400 Karasu Block in Beika."

"Fine."

"You better hurry, or she's dead." The phone clicked, and Conan ran inside for his skateboard. _'Karasu. That's only a couple kilometers from here,' _he thought, jumping on and pressing the switch to turn it on. His mind raced as he balanced and steered the board toward his destination.

After a trip through town and some odd looks, the old long-abandoned warehouse loomed before Shinichi. He propped the skateboard against the wall and shouted, "Ran!"

A gaze around the inside revealed several figures kneeling on the ground, some back-to-back, others placed in a semicircle. Conan could recognize almost all of them: Hattori, Kazuha, Hakuba Saguru, Nakamori Ginzo, and a girl that looked strangely like Ran. All were able to see the entrance and the boy standing there. A few black-clad men and women skulked around the room. He caught a glimpse of platinum-blonde hair, and closer inspection revealed Vermouth, bound and bleeding. "You've got me," he called, "Now let them go."

Strong hands curled under his arms and lifted him into the air. Conan made no effort to resist, allowing his body to be carried in and dropped in the circle. His shoes and socks were slipped off as well as his green hoodie. His watch was removed, replaced by a rough rope. His hands and feet were securely tied, and one more line connected them, placed in such a way that he could only kneel. Ran was on one side of him, while Ai claimed the other, Kobayashi behind her. Next to his childhood friend was Shouhei.

"You weren't supposed to come here. This wasn't supposed to happen." Vermouth whispered.

"Why are you like this? Why aren't you watching with the rest of them?"

"I failed to tell them about you in an effort to keep you alive."

"I thought you wanted to kill me?"

"I wanted to kill Sherry—" She glanced at Ai—"not you. You and Kid were two halves of a Silver Bullet, of my freedom."

"You say that as if you want to leave."

"I did. I was told that by killing Sherry, I would be allowed to leave this place. Once I was free I had intended to seek you two out and help you end the Organization."

Their conversation was cut off as the air cracked and Shouhei hissed. Turning his head to look at his doppelganger, Conan saw that his arm was bleeding and the fabric around it was torn. "Damn you," he growled to the man in black holding the smoking gun. In response, two more shots were fired, slicing through Ran's leg and Ai's shoulder. "Shut up, all of you." He warned.

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**Horrible place to end...I swear, I WILL get the last chapter posted on time...Probably early, even; I've got a tournament on Saturday and midyears on top of that...But the next chapter is the last one.**


	8. Chapter 8: Rescue?

**Sorry, sorry, blame speech team...This is the last chapter, it involves breakage of the fourth wall, and it makes absolutely no sense. It also exists mostly to satisfy my own fangirl need for KaiShin.

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**Chapter Eight: Rescue?**

Several more people took bullets over the next two hours, before the youngest detective caught a glimpse of a ponytail through a hole in the wall. He picked up some murmuring outside and concluded that there was _somebody_ out there. _'The question is, are they here to save us or hurt us?'_

His question was answered when a voice cried, "Now!" Screaming followed as a veritable ocean of girls of all ages swarmed into the storehouse, stopping at various intervals. Some took out paper and pencil and started writing things down, while others were suddenly drawing. As if by magic, Organization members began dropping like flies. Gunfire sounded from the back of the horde, though the shooter could not be seen. Demons surged forward, ahead of the mob, knocking down whatever enemies they could find. The artists threw their papers aside and out of them rose creatures and weapons of all shapes and sizes. The army tore through the Organization, destroying every shadow they happened to come across, and Conan was suddenly fearful, even as one stopped behind him with a knife and cut the ropes binding him. Looking around, more girls were doing the same for the other prisoners. The captives made their way out, to find none other than Akai Shuichi and a blood-red-haired teenage girl. Shouhei smiled, but the detective could tell he was afraid of the girl by the way he started to move faster. The swarms pulled away from the shack and turned on the group all at once, almost all of them pouncing on someone. Shinichi found himself trapped by at least twenty, and looking around, the others were in similar positions. It wasn't hard to tell which group was Shouhei's; it was the one screaming for Kid. One of the fangirls, a redheaded American, stood back with her own paper and colored pencils, completing a few final sketches. Somehow, a white light began to envelop his body as his limbs elongated. It was an interesting feeling, free of the normal pain that came with a transformation, and his clothes were somehow growing with him. When it cleared, he was still being mobbed, but he had regained his original body. The girl who had seemingly made him this way winked and mouthed, _"It's not permanent, so enjoy it while you can…Both of you."_

'_Both?'_ He thought, before seeing that Shouhei had now grown into the same teenager he had saved just a few days ago.

The crowd around him started to disperse at a scream of "Shinichi, you are so _dead_!"

At that familiar voice, he attempted to become one with the ground. Ran was marching toward him, and he was suddenly more afraid than he had been of those girls. "Ran, I, uh…"

"How _could_ you! You left me for so long and…and…you were right there all along and you didn't even _tell_ me! You knew how I felt without you, you saw me _cry_ because you were gone, and you were _right there_!"

"Ran, I swear, I had a good reason for it!"

"Oh? Then if you think you were justified, let's _hear _why you lied to me for so long!"

"Because I was afraid this would happen. This whole situation. I dreamed about what could have happened every night, and I know that now the risk is even higher. The Organization is far from over; the only difference is that you know now."

"You—you heard me say…"

"Yeah. And I love you too, Ran."

A few "Awws" came from the crowd, before Kaito approached Shinichi. "Hey, what about me?"

More cries came when the detective found his rival's lips pressed against his own. Suddenly he was overcome by desire and wrapped his arms around the other's neck, pulling him closer and returning the kiss. When they snapped apart, both were blushing deeply before being turned to face their respective girlfriends. As was to be expected, he supposed, Kaito's friend was the girl he had seen who looked an incredible amount like Ran. _'Poor guy.' _Wait, was she holding a _mop_? With his eyes on the thief, he had left himself unaware and open for Ran to land a kick into his side.

In Kaito's life, Aoko was approaching him with a mop. He successfully dodged her a few times, but put too much attention to the detective he had just _kissed_, failing to see until the makeshift weapon came down on his head. "Ow! What was that for?" He instinctively cried, despite already knowing the answer; he had hidden from her and failed to tell her that he was one of these people's targets.

"Kaito, you _baka_! Why didn't you tell me!"

"A-about what?"

She was suddenly crying and screamed, "Why didn't you _tell _me you had been Kid all this time? Why did you do it? Why, Kaito…" Her voice had softened to a hoarse whisper by the end of her demands.

"So you heard those girls. The truth is, I never asked to be Kid. I had always thought my dad could never make a mistake, that his death was no accident, but I never thought that his performances around the world would be as a thief. When I found out and when I learned that I could do something about it all, what choice did I have but to continue his work?"

"You could have come to tou-chan! You could have found help!"

"I don't think you understand. I knew that my dad was an honest person, and he wasn't one to steal without reason. If he could have worked with Nakamori-keibu on the right side of the law, I think he would have, which means that he _had_ to be a thief, someone who wouldn't be welcome among the police. Based on that, I took up his position and soon learned that he was searching for one jewel in particular, one that would only help those people who kidnapped us if they got a hold of it. Think about it. If you were in my position, would you have stood by and done nothing?"

"If you knew about all this, why wouldn't you have come to the police! I'm sure tou-chan could have helped!"

"Yes, but consider that I didn't know about it until after I became Kid and had been doing this for a while. Think about the prejudice your dad has against me. Would he really have been willing to drop it all at once and work with the one who had been a thorn in his side for years?"

She looked down. "I guess you're right. But how come you're here talking about what happened in there when you weren't there?"

"If you're referring to the second childhood, I'd recommend you ask tantei-kun about that. It's only been four days since I became like that, even though I'd be willing to bet that this isn't permanent and I'll shrink anytime now."

"Shrink? Second childhood? You're not making sense, Kaito."

"I'm probably going to regret this later, but if you're going to know the truth, you may as well know the whole truth. Those guys who kidnapped us, one of them cornered me a few days ago and forced me to take some kind of poison. When I woke up, tantei-kun was watching over me and told me that I had become a kid again. I couldn't put you guys in danger by coming back, so I was stuck with him for a while, and then this happened."

"So, Kuroba-kun, you finally admit to it." Turning, Kaito noticed that detective Hakuba Saguru was coming this way, closely followed by Nakamori Ginzo.

"Admit to what?"

"Don't play dumb here, Kuroba-kun. You finally admit to being Kid."

"Yep. And if you heard that, then I suppose I don't need to explain myself further."

The Brit looked to Nakamori. "I _told _you." The other nodded in acceptance.

"You're both idiots, letting the Organization find you." A cool voice chided. Looking down around his knees, Kaito found Haibara Ai speaking to him. Shinichi came over upon hearing her. "Oi, Haibara. How was this our fault? I doubt it was because Kaito slipped up in any way, and we were both on our guard the whole time."

"Actually, **Sherry**, it was because of the 'three similar cases' rule. I'm quite certain you remember it."

The girl froze in fear and turned around to see Vermouth looking down at her. "Of course. If there are three similar cases, the matter goes to anokata," she said calmly, though there was a tremble in her voice.

The older woman smiled a genuine smile. "It's all right. I was only trying to kill you because I was told it was the only way I could escape the Organization. Now that I'm no longer under Their control, I can apologize. So, Miyano-san, there's no more reason to fear me, and I'm sorry I built that fear in you."

"Oi, Kudou, what's going on?"

"Oh yeah, we never broke the news to Hattori…Looks like Toyama-chan wants to know too."

"Well, Kudou?" Heiji asked impatiently.

"Ten-second version: They gave Kaito that poison that made me into Conan. He stayed with us. They kidnapped everyone. I have no idea how those girls found us. We were going to tell you next time you were in town."

"You told _Hattori-kun_ before me!" Ran screeched, causing Shinichi to recoil and cover his ears.

"Ran-chan, wait!" Kazuha called, before smiling wickedly. "You want some help?" She asked, taking a stance. The vicinity was quickly cleared of teenage boys as the two yelled, joined now by Aoko, who was wielding an iron rod from nearby and charging after Kaito. Akako shook her head from the sidelines. "Looks like things are back to normal."

* * *

**Um...Yeah. Thanks for reading! And for those of you who don't know, I have decided that my other fic, "A New Discovery", is NOT over. The new chapters are still being worked on, but they'll go up eventually...Maybe.**


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